This year has been a funny old year for the weather in the UK, we had an very dry start to the year over the last winter, which gave rise to a hose pipe ban, and then once the ban was in place it didn't stop raining! Now we are in late September and it kind of feels like we never really had summer, we sort of just had a year of spring.
The days are now drawing in and there is a noticeable nip in the air first thing in the morning. We haven't yet had a frost but know a few other gardeners have (some even mentioned frost in late August!)
Anyway, at this time of the year, just before the first frosts is often when the garden looks at its best, so with a nice dry day we took quite a few photos of how the gardens looking now. With it being the end of the month I thought it was a good time for a garden update blog.
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Aloe polyphylla, this plant has had a great year after being planted out
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| Kniphofia northiae |
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| A selection of succulents, with a vase we spotted at a car boot sale, now rusting quite nicely. |
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| Knickers watching over the patio near the house. |
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| Agave parryi var. huachucensis |
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| Philodendron 'Xanadu' |
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| Mixed planting at the edge of our middle patio. I love the striking foliage of Canna 'Cleopatra' |
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| Various shades and textures of foliage next to the middle patio, this bed has really filled out this year. |
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| Large leaf Ricinus, a gift from another exotic gardener |
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| Beschorneria septentrionalis |
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| We have created a number of succulent bowls on the patio for this year with Echeveria 'Topsy turvy' on the right hand side. |
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| And a close up of the flower! |
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| New plantings by the pond have taken off with the wet cool summer |
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| Yuccas, in the blue bed |
We have some nice weather forecast for this weekend, so it looks like we may have quite a pleasant end to September. We certainly deserve it, lets hope summer next year is a much warmer experience!!
Gaz
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Great photos of your most beautiful garden! Knickers is such a doll that we're actually talking about a kitty companion for Lila, and I really must find a source for that Canna 'Cleopatra' in the States...
ReplyDeleteGaz, your garden is just stunning! All plants look healthy and seem to thrive and I really appreciate your plant compositions. I just want to plop down on own of your patio chairs, just relax and take it all in. Always a pleasure seeing pictures of you green paradise!
ReplyDeleteChristina
I know it would have been nice to have more sunshine but the plants have obviously loved all the rain. I love that Cleopatra too. My cannas are just starting to show themselves again after Winter.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures and write up. Garden is looking great. Any nice weather now. Is a bonus
ReplyDeleteBeautiful garden and I do like that canna Cleopatra!
ReplyDeleteJeannine
Your plants look great this year Gaz. Love the succulent containers. They are really beautiful. Think it's the first time I've seen that shot of your patio area. That all looks lovely also!
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Thanks Loree! Nice to hear that you're thinking of getting a kitty companion for Lila now. I wonder how she will react initially? I reckon it's highly likely that they will get along fine. Hope you find a Canna 'Cleopatra' soon :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Christina! Do love those seats but we barely used it this year as got so busy. Hopefully we'll use it more often next year!
Missy, most of the plants did love the extra doses of rain we had this year. Rain and heat would have been a better combination but that's unlikely on a British summer.
Thanks Hugh, Jeannine! The foliage of Canna 'Cleopatra' is certainly special!
Glad you like them Cher! That patio area is due for a makeover in the very near future, maybe as early as next year.
Your plants look so perfect! Not a blemish, and no dust. How do you keep them that clean? Ours are so dirty so wouldn't believe it. We haven't had any rain since early May.
ReplyDeleteHi Gerhard, all that rain we've been having does all the cleaning for us :) Wish we could send some of our rain towards your way!
ReplyDeleteLooking wonderful! I love all the different foliage. Cleopatra is wonderful, but surrounded by different textures, she truly looks royal! I like all the little succulent bowls, too. Even there the different foliage gives the eye so much to see and delight in.
ReplyDeleteHolley, glad you enjoy seeing the garden. Cleopatra really has done very well this year, we are so pleased with the way that area looks this year.
ReplyDeleteLooks as if you have a good form of 'Cleopatra' there which inevitably can be very variable. If you get a pure bronze leaved shoot this will often stabilise with just red flowers and is worth growing in its own right. I don't think it has a name - we just used to call it 'Red Cleopatra' but I saw a lot of very similar plants in a garden centre this summer.
ReplyDeleteHi Ian, we are quite pleased with the way Cleopatra has developed, will look out for the pure bronze shoots, thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy a look at your exotic garden! I especially love the mixed planting by your middle patio. The Cleopatra canna is gorgeous. It's hard to believe you are already thinking about frost! Hopefully, we are at least one to two months away from that.
ReplyDeleteHi Debs, thank you for your kind comments. We can get a frost any time from September, but so far have been lucky. It looks like we are about to have a warm spell, so perhaps we will have a nice mild autumn and no frost 'till December (one can hope anyway!!)
ReplyDeleteCame across you blog whilst looking for something else. I'd just like to say you have a lovely garden and some beautiful plants.
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